Best Friend Shift
by ctrprincess
Summary: Rose and Scorpius have been friends since first year. But things begin to change on the train ride home from sixth year. Their frequent contact has Rose thinking of his as more than a friend. But does he feel the same? Complete. Scorose
1. The One in the Train

There was a banging on the door of the train compartment and Scorpius Malfoy got up reluctantly. He had just gotten comfortable too. He cracked open the door just enough to see who was on the other side.

"Yes, Weasley?"

Rose Weasley stood there defiantly. "May I come in to your compartment? It seems that Albus has disappeared."

Scorpius yawned. "He's probably off flirting with some girl. I suppose you can come in, if you must." Rose pushed her way past him, surveyed the compartment and turned on him.

"You prat! You had the compartment to yourself and you locked the bloody door! Did you expect to ride all the way home from Hogwarts by yourself?"

"That was the idea, yes." Scorpius settled himself again next to the window, spreading out and letting his feet rest on the opposite seat.

Rose attempted to put her luggage overhead, but was having difficulty due to her height.

"Here, Rose, let me," Scorpius said as he took them from her and easily reached the high compartment.

"Oh, so now you've decided that I'm worthy to be in your compartment?"

"Now that it seems you won't be leaving, yes. I accept I must acknowledge your presence."

Rose just shook her head. "Whatever, Scorp. She sat down next to the window, and attempted to rest her feet on the opposite seat. Unfortunately, her feet, barely made it onto the cushioned seat, so she was far from comfortable.

"You stole my seat." Rose glanced up to see Scorpius, hands on his hips, glaring at her.

"Oh, I did? Sorry, I thought with your ego, you'd be filling the entire compartment."

"Why do you think I wanted it to myself, woman? I don't know that there's enough room for both my ego and your hair."

"Oi!" Rose said both in the response to his insult to her hair, and the fact that he had moved her to the side, and wedged himself between her and the window.

"Sorry, Rosie. And I'm sorry Albus ditched you."

Rose shrugged. "It's not like it's the first time." She rested her head back on the seat.

"Ah, yes. The first train ride to Hogwarts. Your desperate time of need, and your cousin ditched you. And you had to befriend the awful Malfoy."

"He really was awful. Luckily for Al, I had a friend to recommend to him when he was sorted into Slytherin."

"Al's a good friend." Scorpius leaned his head back as well, his resting on the wall. "Hard to believe it's already be six years."

Rose bolted forward. "Oh my gosh, Scorp! I wonder who's going to be Head Boy and Girl next year!"

Scorpius threw a lazy arm around her. "Relax, Rosie. You'll be Head Girl for sure." She leaned back again, noting how comfortable her best friend's arm was.

"And I assume Albus will be Head Boy right? Son of Harry Potter and all." Scorpius stiffened. "Or maybe Thomas McLaggen?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No way Thomas McLaggen is chosen as Head Boy over me!"

Rose shrugged. "Maybe I put in a good word for him." Scorpius grabbed her shoulders, and turned her to face him.

"You didn't. Did you?"

Rose laughed. "Nope. No, I wasn't consulted at all. I suppose they already know who they'll choose."

Scorpius released Rose to her former position and turned to look at the scenery passing by. Some time later, something hit his shoulder and he stiffened. Slowly, he turned to find Rose's head resting on his shoulder, her eyes closed. His arm that been loosely draped around her before tightened around her, pulling her closer.

Scorpius abandoned his scenic view, and rested his own head on top of Rose's. No matter how things turned out next year, he'd always have Rose.

 **AN: Hey all! This is my first major multi-chapter fic, so we'll see how this goes. And I have no idea how long this will be. I'm making it up as I go! I'll try to update when I can, but I make no promises. Please favorite/review! Feel free to make predictions/suggestions. And characters belong to J.K. Rowling.**


	2. The One with Goodbye

"Rose. Time to wake up." Rose groaned. As much as she loved sleep, this was her least favorite part: waking up. It was hard to wake up when she was so comfortable on her favorite pillow.

"Rosie, c'mon. We're almost to King's Cross." King's Cross? How would she get to King's Cross from her bed? Her eyes slowly opened and saw the seat across from her. The train. Right. But then what was she laying on?

She lifted her head and turned to see Scorpius smiling at her.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I guess I fell asleep on your shoulder." Rose was pretty sure the Weasley blush was failing her at the moment.

"Eh, it's fine. Just one question: what it comfortable?" He smirked at her.

She shoved him with her elbow. "Prat. But yes, actually it was." He gave her a real smile.

"I'm glad. Your head was comfortable too." Rose smiled too.

"Good to know I'm not the only one that fell asleep." The train came to a stop then, and Scorpius helped get her trunks from above. They pulled them into the hallway.

"Rose!"

"Thanks for ditching me, Al."

"Eh, I'm sure you were fine. I had some girls that needed someone to flirt with." Rose laughed. "Besides, I came to join you and Scorp, but the door was locked."

"He locked me out too. Took a while to convince him to let me in."

"Where did he go, anyways?"

Rose turned to find that Scorpius was no longer behind her. Her heart sank, just a little. But why? It was just Scorp. She'd see him soon enough. Merlin, he'd probably show up at Al's tomorrow.

"It's a bummer," Al was saying. "I was hoping to say goodbye to him before he left for his world tour."

Rose suddenly felt sick. She'd forgotten that Scorpius would be spending nearly the entire summer traveling with his parents. She wouldn't see him for months.

"Well, let's go then." With a nod, Rose followed Al out of the train.

The train station was crowded, as it always was. Children were greeting their parents, especially first years glad to be home with mum. Then there were the seventh years, saying tearful goodbyes to their friends. The wizarding world was small, and they'd see each other soon before too long.

Rose attempted to find her parents in the crowd. Another time when her height was a disadvantage: when she needed to pick out people in a crowd. She turned to ask Al if he could see them, but he'd already disappeared.

"Rosie!" Rose heard her name called, and her heart began racing. Only her dad and Scorpius called her Rosie, and it wasn't her dad's voice. She turned, and sure enough, there was Scorpius.

He rushed to her and pulled her into a hug.

"Have a great summer, alright? Make sure Al doesn't do anything too crazy." Rose laughed.

"I will. Be careful, yourself." He nodded and looked like he was going to say something else.

"Rose!" She heard her mum call from a different direction. She turned and waved to her mum. Then turned back to tack to Scorpius, but he had already disappeared in the crowd.

 **AN: Short chapter sorry. Let me know what you think of this so far!**


	3. The One with the Phone

The telephone range and Rose hurried to answer it. It was probably her grandparents, they were about the only people that called the Weasley's muggle telephone. Rose liked answering the phone because it meant she got to talk to the Grangers for a few minutes before her mum took over.

"Hello?"

"HELLO, ROSE!" Rose quickly pulled the phone away from her ear to minimize

any further damage of going deaf.

"Scorpius?! Is that you? Please, talk at a normal volume."

"Rose! I'm using a telephone!" Scorpius's volume had improved, but was still louder than necessary.

"I can see that. Also, you can use your inside voice and I will be able to hear you just fine. How'd you get access to a muggle telephone?"

"Mum wanted to stay in muggle hotels. Something about getting the full experience. Then I recognized this telephone from muggle studies. And I told myself that it would be a waste of this learning opportunity if I didn't use it."

Rose laughed. "Of course. No one would ever dare deprive you of learning about the things of the muggle world. Where are you at this week?"

"We're in New York! Rose, it's incredible."

"It's strange for Scorpius to be traveling, and not here everyday," Albus was saying. Rose nodded her agreement. "I mean, it's already been two months, and he's only owled me twice! Has owled you at all?"

"Only once," Rose responded. She chose not to mention her frequent conversations with Scorpius over the muggle telephone. He called at least twice a week, usually more. "He told me that since they're touring among the muggles, he's usually not able to send things by owl." But muggle telephones were extremely convenient.

Rose talked to Al for a bit longer before heading to her own house next door. She didn't want to miss a call from Scorpius. She'd done that once, and Hugo had answered. It had been a whole lot of awkward.

It had been several days since their last conversation, so Rose was fairly confident that he would call tonight. She didn't have the ability to call him, as moving hotels meant his phone number was constantly changing.

They usually talked for at least an hour. Usually it was more. Rose enjoyed their conversations. They'd tell about things that had happened since they'd last talked. Eventually their conversation would drift to other topics, and they managed to continue talking for long periods of time.

"Mum. Has anyone called?" Rose asked as she entered the kitchen.

Hermione Weasley turned to her daughter with a look in her eye.

"I don't believe so. Why? Are you expecting a call?"

"Uh, sort of."

"You know that you're father assumes that you're talking to a muggle friend of yours on the phone all the time, right? I'd tell him sooner, versus after the two of you actually start dating."

"Mum! Scorpius and I aren't going to start dating. He doesn't feel that way about me." Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Because it sounds like a bloke fancies you when he calls you almost everyday and you talk for hours."

Rose sighed. "I don't know, mum."

"Do you fancy him?" Another sigh.

"Yes."

Hermione smiled. "That's what I thought."

Rose did fancy him. Quite a lot, actually. Which is why she was severely disappointed when no call came from Scorpius that night. It wasn't like him. She been expecting his call last night, but it had been almost a week now. She'd heard nothing. She wondered if something were wrong. She spent most of the next day lingering near the phone, hoping it would ring. Finally, she decided she'd had enough moping. She was going to Al's.

Rose went next door to her cousin's house. She didn't knock, but simply opened the door and let herself in. Uncle Harry was in his recliner in the front room, reading the Daily Prophet.

"Hello, Rose."

"Hi, Uncle Harry! Is Al home?"

Harry nodded. "I believe he's up in his room."

"Thanks!" Rose hurried up the stairs. She knocked quickly on Albus's door before immediately opening it. Albus was sitting on his bed and turned to face her.

"Rose! Hi. I wasn't expecting you," Al said. "Guess what?"

Rose stepped into the room as she asked, "What?"

"I'm home," came a second voice from behind her.

 **AN: As an author, I love cliffhangers. Sorry guys. But I bet you can guess who it is that's home... ;) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review.**


	4. The One with the Weeds

Rose whirled around, even though she knew exactly whose voice it was. Sure enough, Scorpius sat in the chair at Albus's desk.

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, coming up with nothing.

"Uh, well. I'm going to go see if I can find us some snacks," Al said as he left the room.

"You're home!" Rose finally got out. Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"I believe that's what I just said."

Rose just shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming home!"

Scorpius stood up. "Well, it was kind of sudden. Mum was ill, you see."

Rose rushed to give him a hug. "Oh, Scorp. I'm sorry."

His arms immediately circled her. "She has the flu. She'll be alright in a couple days."

Rose loosened, ready to release Scorpius. But his arms stayed tight around her and she didn't mind. She'd just stay here. In the arms of her best friend who she might in fact fancy? Not a bad place to be.

She decided to enjoy this while she had the chance. She turned and buried her face in his chest. Scorpius's arms tightened further around her, and his thumbs started making lazy circles on her shoulders.

"Rose?" He said after a moment.

"Hm?"

"I missed you."

Rose looked up to smile at him. "I missed you too."

He smiled back at her. But then his gaze shifted down to her lips. Rose froze. He was going to kiss her.

There was the sound of footsteps outside the room, and they broke apart quickly. Rose heard Al enter his room, but was suddenly quite entranced with the floor.

"All I could find was apple slices." Rose heard him, but her mind cared less about apple slices and more about what the heck had just happened. She glanced up at Scorpius, who was staring at her. Yet he wore the Malfoy mask, and Rose had no idea what he was thinking about.

Scorpius seemed to snap out of whatever emotion he'd been feeling.

"I like apples." Scorpius said as he grabbed one. Rose broke out of her startled state and also helped herself to one.

They crunched on the apples until Ginny called Albus downstairs. Albus left them in awkward silence for only a moment before he came pounding up the stairs.

"Hogwarts letters are here!" He paused to catch his breath, but Rose and Scorpius almost trampled him on their way out. Scorpius hurried to the front step so that he could apparate away. Rose headed out the door and down the street to her own house.

"Mum!" Rose looked frantically around the house for the sight of any letters. The living room was empty, so she headed to the kitchen.

Hermione stood next to the stove, holding the precious letter in her hands. Rose hurried towards her, but Hermione held up a hand.

"Last time I checked, the weeds in the backyard are still there. And I asked you to pull those last week!"

"But mum!"

"No Hogwarts letter until those weeds are gone. And no magic. Remember this is how you're paying for all those phone calls you made this summer."

Rose groaned, but headed outside. The faster she pulled the weeds, the faster she'd get her letter. She began pulling the weeds from the ground, grumbling about boys, parents, and long phone calls.

There was a pop, then "Rose!"

Rose turned and there was Scorpius, holding his letter.

"I got Head Boy! You got Head Girl, right?"

"I dunno. I haven't opened it yet. I have to pull all these weeds first."

Scorpius chuckled. "Oh, I see. Did Rose Weasley do something wrong for once?"

"Not wrong exactly. Apparently those muggle telephones cost money, so Mum is making pull weeds as a form of payment."

Scorpius examined his fingernails. "Sounds tough. Well, I suppose I'll be back later then." Scorpius turned to walk over to Albus's house.

Rose hurried to him, and grabbed his hand. Scorpius feet froze and he turned to look at their hands, then up at her questioningly. Rose's face turned red and she let go.

"I just figured, as the bloke I was talking to on the phone to, you could do the decent thing and help me pull the weeds."

"Since when have I ever been a decent bloke?" He turned to look at Al's house. "I'll need more motivation than that."

"If we have two people, it will go faster. Then I can open my letter sooner, and find out if I'm Head Girl."

Scorpius shook his head. "I'm already quite confident of that. I don't need a letter to confirm it."

Rose sighed dramatically. "Fine. I suppose I'll pull these weeds all on my own."

"I never said I wouldn't help. You just need to name the right price."

"Well could you tell me that price? I'd appreciate some help. And it's more fun with two people."

"I'd do it for a kiss."

Rose choked. "A kiss? How about a hug?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Two hugs?" Scorpius started to walk away and Rose sighed. "Fine. A kiss." Scorpius turned and grinned.

"Now where are those weeds?"

 **AN: Hey guys! Sorry, I meant to get this up earlier. Unfortunately I had a test that took priority. Anyways, here's the latest chapter. Let me know what you think.**


	5. The One with the Kiss

"So how does one pull out weeds the muggle way?" Scorpius asked.

"Alright. Now, gather all the leafy part in your hand. Sometimes it helps to wiggle it a little to loosen the dirt around it. You want to make sure to get the root out as well. Otherwise they'll just grow right back."

"But by then you'll be back at Hogwarts and won't have to mess with them."

"You underestimate the growing rate of weeds."

Scorpius shrugged, and turned to find a weed. He grabbed most of the leaves and pulled. The top of the weed came up, while the root remained firmly in the ground.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Harder than it sounds, isn't it?"

"Why can't we just use magic? We're wizards. Your mum would never have to know."

The back door opened with a squeak and Hermione walked out.

"Oh, hello, Scorpius! So nice of you to help Rose. Isn't he a nice boy, Rose?"

Rose grumbled something under her breath, while Scorpius grinned at the compliment.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, please. Call me Hermione."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I'll let you return to the weeds now. Thank you again for helping, Scorpius."

"No problem!" Scorpius said happily. "The reward is worth it," he mumbled.

Hermione left them to pull weeds.

Rose pulled a few weeds from the ground, making it look effortless. Scorpius just stopped and stared.

"If you're so good at this, how about you pull out that big one?" Scorpius asked.

Most the weeds were small or medium sized. There was one next to a tree that had been growing for a while. It had gotten to the point that Rose was planning to leave it. It had become a part of the yard. But she wasn't going to back down to a challenge.

She raised her eyebrows. "Fine."

She trudged to the weed, and gathered the large pieces together so that they were in one giant mass. She gripped near the bottom and pulled. Nothing.

Rose kept pulling, putting her full weight into it. She leaned back, hoping gravity on her body would force the weed out of the ground. She hovered there for a moment before there was a crack as the leafy part broke from the root and Rose lurched backwards.

Scorpius had been standing behind Rose, and easily moved forward to save her falling to the ground.

"Uh, thanks." Rose said with a face to match her name.

"Maybe you should have loosened the dirt around it first." Scorpius said with a raise of the eyebrow. Rose smacked his arm.

"Prat. Just pull the weeds. That was the worst one."

They talked and joked while they worked until all the weeds were gone.

"Thanks, Scorpius. The yard looks great."

"No problem. So when do I get my reward?"

Rose tilted her head. "I thought you were doing this out of the kindness of your heart?"

Scorpius's face scrunched up. "There's no kindness in this heart. It's too black for that."

Rose laughed. "I knew it." Scorpius grinned as well.

"I believe I was promised a kiss."

Rose took a deep breath. "Right. I need to go get something if that's ok?" Scorpius nodded.

He figured she was getting chapstick or a breath mint or something. She seemed nervous. Scorpius grinned. He was going to get a kiss from Rose Weasley. He'd imagined this for so long.

It was only a few minutes later that Rose came back. She still looked fairly nervous.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Ready?"

Rose blushed, but nodded. Scorpius started coming closer, but she held up a hand.

"Now, you worked really hard on those weeds. I figured you deserved more than just a kiss." She took a deep breath and her voice sped up. "So instead of just one, here's a whole bag! See you on the train!" Rose tossed a bag of Hershey's kisses and ran inside.

Scorpius had great reflexes, but he was too shocked to catch the bag. The chocolate fell to the ground in front of him. He stood there for a moment before picking up the bag and apparating away.

"The yard looks great, Rose! Here's your letter." Hermione said as she entered Rose's bedroom.

Instead of a rejoicing daughter, she found Rose crying on her bed.

"Mum, I've done something awful."

Rose told her mother what she had done. Hermione sighed and placed her head in her hands.

"It's bad, huh?"

"At the moment yes. Why didn't you kiss him? I thought you liked him?"

"I do. But Scorpius dates a lot of girls. I don't want to be just girl that he'll date for a week, two if I'm lucky, and then discard."

"You think he'd do that?"

Rose shrugged. "He's done it to girls before. And I don't our friendship to be sacrificed because of it."

"Well, I'm not so sure that you're the same as those other girls. Friendship makes a relationship stronger. I think you deserve to give it a chance. But it's up to you. I think you'd better do something though or your friendship will suffer either way.

 **AN: Sorry this update took so long! I've been crazy busy with finals, but those are done now. So hopefully I will have more time to write. No guarantees though. Thank you to all those that have reviewed! I love reading those. Have a great week and thanks for reading!**


	6. The One to cause Rumors

Rose said goodbye to her parents on the platform only to discover that Al had abandoned her again. She supposed she'd better find Scorpius. The hallways were empty as Rose passed by full compartments.

Finally she found one in which Scorpius Malfoy sat, staring out the window. She tried the door, but it was locked. Figures.

She knocked on the door, but Scorpius only seemed to stare harder if that were possible. Finally with a sigh, Rose pulled a piece of parchment out her bag. She sat in the hall and wrote an apology letter to Scorpius. She hesitated before adding a heart before her name. Then she folded the letter and slid it under the compartment door. Scorpius didn't look up or acknowledge her in any way. She sighed and left to find a place to put her stuff. She didn't mind sitting in the hall, but the trolley wouldn't be able to get through with her trunk in the way. She found Lily and Hugo in a compartment by themselves. She put her trunk there, with help from her brother who had managed to grow taller than her.

She visited with them for a while before their conversation turned to the gossip of their year, which she wasn't especially interested in. Rose exited the compartment in search of other friends. She had more friends than just her family and Scorpius, right?

As she was making her way along the train, she entered a car and ran into someone.

"Rose." Scorpius greeted.

Rose just stared. It was now or never. Or, not never exactly. But she figured she'd better do it soon or her courage would be gone.

Rose put one hand on Scorpius's head, pulling him towards and her and down while she stood on her tiptoes and closed the distance. Their lips connected and she closed her eyes.

Scorpius was startle for a moment. He'd come to accept her apology, but heck, he'd take a kiss! Rose was about to release him, but one of his arms circled her and he responded to the kiss.

Rose's hand on his head, moved into his hair, tangling in it as the other grabbed onto his arm for support because Merlin knew she needed it. She'd planned for the kiss to be brief, but now she didn't want to stop. Man, her best friend sure could kiss!

Finally, Rose pulled away.

"Uh, I hope you'll accept that apology?"

Scorpius could only nod.

"So we're good then?" Another nod from Scorpius. "So I suppose you won't lock me out of the compartment anymore."

Scorpius grinned. "I don't know… I might need some more convincing to let you in." Rose smacked his arm.

"Prat. C'mon, I still have to show you my Head Girl Badge!" Rose took his hand and led him back towards the compartment.

"I wouldn't believe it either, but Susan saw it with her own eyes! Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley snogging on the train." The news traveled quickly around the Hogwarts Express. Even the first years, having never met either, were sharing the news with their friends.

Rose and Scorpius had been playing a game of Wizard's Chess and were startled by Albus's pounding on the door. Rose stood up to let him in.

Albus sat down and crossed his arms. "When were you two going to tell me that you were dating?" Scorpius's face reddened and Rose choked on her own spit.

Scorpius's mumble was lost in Rose's response.

"What?! Scorp and I are not dating, Al! Whatever would give you that idea?"

"Well, I dunno, Rose. Maybe the news traveling like fiendfyre on the train that some fifth year saw you two snogging in the hallway."

Rose's cheeks quickly colored. Albus raised an eyebrow. "So it's true?"

"Uh, that part might be true," Scorpius responded.

"But we're not dating! It was just a friendship kiss." Albus's eyebrow rose further.

"Never heard of those."

"Well, see, Scorp helped me pull weeds. But he said he needed some form of payment. And so we agreed to a kiss. But then as a joke I gave him some Hershey's kisses, and waited to give him an actual kiss until a little bit ago on the train."

"Ah. Because it makes much more sense to kiss on a crowded train instead of in the privacy of one's own backyard."

"Well, it was summer. My brain may not have been fully functioning." Rose defended.

"Brains rarely function when it comes to kisses." Albus noted that Scorpius was remaining mostly silent on the subject. He'd have to talk to him about it later.

"Alright, I've got a plan. Scorp and I will split up, and tell everyone we're not dating." Albus raised an eyebrow. Rose stood up.

"You coming?" She asked Scorpius.

"Uh, ya, of course, Rose."

Albus sat in the compartment and waited for their return.

Scorpius came back first and sat down with a sigh.

"Do you want to talk about what's really going on?"

"Not particularly."

Albus would have kept pushing, but Rose returned then, saving Scorpius from further interrogation.

"I don't understand! No one seems to believe me. And apparently, Scorp, we have fan girls."

Scorpius snorted. "We have what?"

"Fangirls. They've been rooting for our relationship for years, apparently. They even have this couple name for us, Scorose. It's both of our names put together. It'd be kinda cute, if we were actually dating. But we're not, which they don't seem to understand."

"Well, the school is going to gossip either way. We may as well give them something to gossip about. Plus, Rosie, I want to see your dad's reaction when he hears the news."

 **AN: So, I did some editing at the end of this chapter, because I wasn't too happy with it before. I like this a lot better. Especially the bit about the fangirls. (I'm the biggest one, of course ;) Anyways, I need help! I'm working hard on the next chapter, but I need to decide which house to sort Rose into! (Of course, she's already been sorted, but it has not yet been revealed in this story where she is.) So, either leave a review, or there's a poll on my profile. Thanks in advance for your help!**


	7. The One Without the Classroom

"You're Head Girl, Rose. You can do this."

"I really don't think I can."

"Oh, c'mon. I'm not that bad." Rose didn't respond. "Wait, am I?"

Rose laughed. "Would I be best friends with you if you were an awful person?" She took a deep breath. "Let's do this." She took a couple steps toward the Great Hall before freezing again. "Merlin, Scorp, I'm shaking."

Scorpius took a step closer and grabbed her hand. He started rubbing lazy circles along it, trying to calm her. Instead it sent her heart racing. But it was too late. Scorpius was opening the doors and pulling her inside. The formerly noisy hall grew still at the entrance of the Head Boy and Girl.

Rose's breathing became more frantic, but Scorpius just squeezed her hand.

"I'm right here."

"But for long? You'll go join the Slytherins, and I'll-" They had reached her table, and he surprised her by sitting down. She just stared at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to join me?" Rose sat down embarrassed.

"It's only the first day. Won't you get in trouble for not sitting with the Slytherins?"

"I'm the Head Boy. I can do whatever I want."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Scorpius moved closer, smirking. "Are you challenging me?"

"Always," Rose responded with a smirk of her own.

Then Scorpius closed the distance and his lips were on hers. Rose had considered that faking a relationship might involve more kissing. And if it was all going to be this good, she was definitely open to the idea.

Rose responded to his kiss, eagerly. Her thoughts were not on the nerves of having everyone in Hogwarts staring at her, but instead on her best friend who she _definitely_ fancied.

A loud "Ahem!" was heard, and Scorpius and Rose broke apart.

"Well, now that we have our Head Boy and Girl's attention, we will proceed with the sorting," McGonagall announced sternly, successfully hiding her own smirk.

Rose's face turned Weasley red.

"We only just got to Hogwarts, and already you got me in trouble with the Headmistress."

Scorpius smirked. "Give me detention. But I'd just give one to you. Then we could serve in detention together!" He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "It'd be so romantic."

Rose shoved him. "You're such a prat."

"And yet, you still fancy me." Rose froze. He knew. She was saved responding by the chorus of cheers at the Slytherin table, where the first of the new Hogwarts students had just been sorted.

As the cheering died down, Scorpius went back to his normal teasing, and Rose teased right back. Okay, so Scorpius might have just said that for the benefit of others around them. He didn't know. But Rose was unsure how long she could play this role without revealing the truth.*

The feast was over, and students were heading off to their common rooms. Rose hadn't eaten much, it was a bit difficult to eat with only one hand. But she wasn't about to let go of Scorpius with the other. She'd decided she was going to enjoy this "dating" thing while she could. Besides, she was holding his right hand, which meant he had to try to eat with his left. Either that or admit defeat, which was not something Scorpius Malfoy was willing to do.

Rose and Scorpius were to leave when McGonagall approached.

"Weasley, Malfoy, a word?" They nodded and followed the Headmistress to the other end of the hall, where the students had already vacated.

"Now, I know you two have a newfound romance, but I expect you to live up to your duties as Heads. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Headmistress."

"Good. Now, how did the two of you get together?"

Rose froze. Why had this not occurred to her? She looked to Scorpius for help. He showed panic for a second before hiding it behind the Malfoy mask.

"Well, it happened this summer, obviously."

"But I thought you and your parents went on a long holiday abroad?"

"We did. We came back a week before school started. I helped Rose pull weeds in her backyard," he looked at Rose, who was listening to him curiously, "and, I dunno, things just sort of… shifted."

McGonagall smiled. "Well, congratulations. It's about time the two of you got together."

Rose was stunned to silence again, but Scorpius recovered quickly. "Thank you, Headmistress." He quickly pulled Rose away.

"Now what? Do you want to go unpack your things? Or we could find a nice classroom to-?" Rose cut him off by shoving him. "What? I thought it was a personal reasonable idea."

Rose laughed. "I should probably go unpack my stuff."

"Will you be alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I hardly think my chests are going to attack me."

Scorpius laughed. "I sure hope not. If they do, though, I will readily be there to protect you."

"Right after you defeat the staircase that turns to a slide."

"Yes, after that battle. No, I meant will you be okay facing the barrage of questions coming from your roommates."

Rose's face paled. "Oh, Merlin. I didn't think of that. Those girls are going to interrogate me!"

Scorpius shrugged. "The classroom is still an option."

Rose laughed. "Or! We could go to the library and start on our-" Scorpius groaned.

"No, Rose. No homework already."

Rose smirked. "Oh, alright. Tomorrow we'll start on it." Scorpius just shook his head.

"Your only options are classroom or roommates."

Rose tilted her head, considering. "Roommates, I suppose."

Scorpius made a face. "Oi! My snogging can't be that bad." Rose blushed. Oh, Merlin, it wasn't.

"Oh, no, Scorp. It's not that. I just figure I'll have to face my roommates eventually. I might as well get the painful part over with."

"Oh. Classroom later, then?" Rose shook her head, sometimes she hated his teasing. But it was best to just give it right back to him.

"I guess it depends on how much time I have, between classes, homework, patrol, and who knows, the Head Boy may require my attention a lot."

"Oh, he'll definitely need your attention a lot." Scorpius said as he moved closer. Rose was prepared this time, and closed that awful distance herself. She pressed her lips to his as her arms wound around his neck. He responded immediately and sent one hand to her hair while the other went to the small of her back to pull her closer. His lips moved eagerly over hers, almost as if…

Rose was broken out of her thoughts when he pulled away. "You sure you don't want to find that classroom?" Rose laughed.

"Nope. Goodnight, Scorpius." Rose threw her arms around his neck for a hug. "And thank you," she whispered in his year. Rose wasn't sure what all she was thanking him for. His friendship? Pretending to be her boyfriend? The kisses? She was definitely thankful for those. She'd figure it out later. Now, she had to go face the firing squad.

 ***This is where I considered stopping the chapter. I resisted. You're welcome.**

 **AN: I tried to make this chapter nice and long to make up for my long absence... Whoops. Sorry guys. But thank you for being wonderful and following, favoriting, or reviewing! Keep it up! Also, I'm trying to figure out which house Rose should be in... I have a poll up on my profile if you'd care to throw in an opinion. As always, let me know what you think of this chapter!**


	8. The One with the Deep Talk

**AN: The first four lines are the same, but the rest of the chapter is new!**

Chapter 8

"Rosie! You survived!" Scorpius threw an arm around Rose as she entered the Great Hall the next morning. Rose laughed.

"Of course I did. I'm Head Girl, after all. I can handle most anything."

Scorpius's eyes shown with pride. "Yes, you can." He leaned towards her for a quick morning kiss.

He walked her to class, carried her books for her, he was everything Rose Weasley had ever wanted in a boyfriend. Except he wasn't. Not really. They hadn't talked about it, but she didn't understand why he kept going along with this. She wanted this so badly, the real them, and it was hard when she was alone and that part of her brain whispered to her that this wasn't real. He didn't really care. He didn't really look forward to their good morning kiss everyday like she did. He probably wanted to end it, but wasn't sure how to do it. Maybe she should just put him out of his misery. But she wanted this. She wanted it desperately. She wanted to be his, and he hers. It was an everyday inner struggle. And so she decided to do nothing. Unfortunately, that meant she got more and more attached to her best friend in a not so best friendish way.

They were sitting out under a large tree, studying. This was their seventh year, and there were careers and futures to think about.

Rose couldn't sit still. She was trying to focus on her studies, she really was. But thoughts of the future, particularly her future with Scorpius kept coming back. She rested her head in her hand. She uncrossed her legs and stretched them out. She decided to try writing with her left hand.

"Rose, you're moving a lot," Scorpius complained.

"So?"

"Come here," Scorpius said. He lifted up his arm and she grabbed the potions book she'd been trying so hard to read out of. She sat down right next to him, and his arm wrapped around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and turned to her potions. She was fidgeting anymore. Scorpius always seemed to calm her nerves, often without trying.

She got further this time. But then Scorpius came back to her mind. It was hard for him not, really. He was sitting right there next to her, and she could smell his cologne. He'd gotten it right, after years of the teenage boy syndrome of putting way too much. But he'd figured it out, and, Merlin, did he smell good.

Old fears creeped back into Rose's mind. She'd long put them to rest, by well, ignoring them and shoving them far far away.

What if this is just temporary? When they left Hogwarts, and no one else was watching, then what? Would he still want this? She definitely did. But the question remained: did he.

"Scorp," Rose began. He lifted his head from his notes he'd been intently studying.

"Yes, Rosie dear?" He smiled at her. It was a real smile. She could almost believe…

Rose wrung her hands. "This is our last year at Hogwarts."

"Yes it is. That's why we're head boy and girl. But I don't suppose that's what you wanted to talk about." He lifted his hand to play with her hair. She leaned into the gesture. It calmed her nerves a bit.

"Scorp, what's going to happen after we leave Hogwarts?" His arm tensed before pulling her closer.

"My, my, Rosie. That's a deep question for this early."

"It's three o'clock!"

Scorpius smirked. "My point exactly! This is more of a midnight musing type question."

"Do you have an answer to it?"

"I- I'm not entirely sure. I suppose a lot of it has to do with what happens this year. How we do on our NEWTs. Whether or not you make it into the Auror academy. Whether St. Mungos wants to let me near any of their patients."

Rose turned to look at him. "And what about us?" He was looking right back at her, and his gray eyes had something in them she hadn't seen there before.

"Rosie, there's a lot I don't know. A lot of answers I don't have. Like to question 8 on our potions homework. But that's besides the point. One thing I do know, Rosie, and that-"

"Scorpius! Rose!" A gryffindor prefect was running down the hill towards them.

Rose and Scorpius exchanged glances. Scorpius looked like he had a lot left to say. And Rose, well, she was just as unsatisfied as before.

"Peeves! He- well, you just have to come see this!" The student finally got out.

They quickly gathered their books, and Scorpius took her hand to lead her inside.

"We'll finish this conversation later," he whispered. She nodded. Hopefully it would be soon. She's not sure how much sleep she'd be getting until then.

 **AN: Hi! I'm back, after a long hiatus. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the same ending as I had before, but hopefully with some new additions it will flow better. Also, I've started a new multi chapter Scorsese, called In My Way! I'm really excited for it. As always, favorite and review!**


	9. The One Where it Ends

**AN: I changed Chapter 8. So make sure if you're an old reader to read that one first. The rest of the story is the same.**

Chapter 9

Turns out Scorpius meant much later. Peeves had created quite the gong show and it was a crazy mess that took all the prefects, teachers, and of course the heads to clean up and organize the student body. And all because of a peanut butter sandwich…

Then there was a Quidditch game, which took all of Scorpius's time, and then Rose was applying to be an Auror, having an interview, and basically, they didn't have any time to themselves.

Rose was on her way to potions when an arm grabbed her and pulled her into a alcove. She might have been frightened, if she didn't know that arm and that smell so well.

"Rosie! We need to talk. I'm sorry I've been so busy, and I just haven't been able to-" he playing with his hands and examining them very closely.

"Scorp, it's okay, I've been extremely busy too. And I agree, we need to talk. But we've hardly had a moment to ourselves, and-" her lip stuck out in a pout. Scorpius had looked up at her as she'd started talking, and as she stuck out her lip his gaze went to it.

"I- I've missed you," she said. She didn't have to explain. He knew. He'd lived it. Didn't matter that they'd seen each other, but they hadn't had the same time laughing and playing outside, or being shushed in the library because they were being just a tad too loud.

His hands took hers. "I've missed you too, Rosie." And then because he couldn't resist any longer, he lowered his head to kiss her. She responded instantly. Logic worked it's way in, wondering why he was kissing her. No one was around. This was for no one's benefit, but his. And hers. Definitely to her benefit. And this kiss, although they'd shared many, this one felt real. It reminded her of their first kiss on the train. It wasn't a show. They weren't doing it for anyone else. It was just Rose and Scorpius. Together. And very late for class.

Rose took a step back, and Scorpius tilted his head and gave her a confused look.

"Scorpius! We are so late for class!"

His head didn't move. "So? I was quite enjoying myself."

She laughed. "C'mon, Scorp!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "We can talk more later."

"I quite like your version of talking, Rose Weasley." Scorpius said as they hurried down stairs to the dungeon. Rose smacked his arm.

"You're the one that kissed me!"

"And you responded very well!"

Rose chuckled. "We really do need to do some real talking after class."

"Agreed. As long as there's more kissing involved."

Rose laughed, but didn't respond. They'd reached the door to the potions room, which was open. Professor Slughorn noticed them immediately.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. Mr. Malfoy. So good of you to join us. If you would please stop by the front and take a whiff of the potion on the way to your seats. The rest of your classmates have already taken their smell test."

Rose obediently dragged Scorpius by the hand to the front of the classroom.

"What is it, professor?" another student asked as Rose inhaled the potion.

Rose could smell old books, Hershey's kisses, and Scorpius's cologne.

"Amortentia," Professor Slughorn responded. Rose froze. She looked at Scorpius, who had just sniffed the potion. He had noticed the change in her and was looking at her with concern and confusion.

"Rose?"

Rose shook her head. "I can't do this anymore." She dropped his hand and ran out of the room.

For once Rose didn't care that she was missing class. She needed some time, away from classes, and especially away from Scorpius.

She was in love with him. She'd denied it for months. The smell of books could be explained by Rose's love of the library, and probably had nothing to do with all the snogging sessions that had taken place there. And Rose loved chocolate. That's why she smelled them. It didn't matter that they were far from her favorite chocolate and it was them that had caused them to kiss on the train instead and start this full relationship. These were purely coincidences. But the fact that her Amortentia smells like Scorpius himself was proof she couldn't deny.

Rose had reached her favorite spot, a secluded corner of the Quidditch pitch. She sat down and wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her face in her knees. That kiss before class had been different, but did it really mean what she thought it meant? She heard movement, and snuck a peek to see Scorpius sit down beside her. She decided to ignore him.

How could she have been so stupid? Why had she agreed to this "relationship" when all lies eventually came to an end? And now this was probably going to ruin their friendship too. But at the same time, Rose wasn't sure that she regretted it. Being with Scorpius, even if it had been fake, was so much better than she could have possibly imagined. It had felt real.

"Rose? Will you talk to me please?" Rose did not respond, or make any sign that she'd even heard. Scorpius waited a few minutes before scooting closer and wrapping his arms around her.

"Rosie, please. I'm sorry for whatever it is I've done wrong. Please tell me what it is so that I can correct it in the future."

Rose raised her head. "What makes you think you're the one that's done something wrong?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Dad always said to just assume you're the one that did something wrong, especially with women." Rose didn't respond, but just looked at the ground. Yes, he might have done something wrong. Rose wasn't about to admit that he'd been too attractive for her to resist, and she'd fallen in love with him.

Scorpius's hand grabbed her face, turning it gently to look at him while his thumb moved in circles across her cheek.

"Rosie? What have I done?" Rose resisted the urge to lean into his touch.

"Exactly what you're doing now," Rose said with a glance at his hand. Scorpius's hand immediately dropped from her face. He looked hurt for a moment before all emotion was guarded by the Malfoy mask.

"I understand. I'm sorry that my touch is so repulsive to you, but I wish you'd said something earlier. Then I would have toned down the contact, and… the kisses. That's why you gave me the chocolate, right? And reminded me we were late for class. An attempt to not have to kiss a Malfoy." As much as he tried, Scorpius couldn't mask the bitterness in his voice.

Rose closed her eyes. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on her hands. "No, I don't think you understand, Scorpius Malfoy. It's so difficult to have you hold my hand, wrap your arm around me, and yes, kiss me, knowing that it's just a pretense. That it's for the benefit of everyone else, but not for me." Scorpius opened his mouth to say something but Rose kept going. "No, you listen to me. I can't go on pretending that I'm enjoying myself when I'm not anymore. It's hard to keep going, knowing all this is fake, when I want it so bad to be real." Rose paused, realizing what she had said. She glanced at Scorpius who was frozen, shock on his face. Rose decided she was in this deep, she might as well keep going. "I smelled you in the Amortentia. Not only you, but all sorts of things related to you. And it scared me, because I realized that I'm in love with you. And I'm not sure even now how I'll be able to cope when this fake relationship ends. If it went on any farther, it would only get harder. Which is why I'm done. And I'm sorry. I understand I probably just ruined our friendship, but I just can't go on like this."

Rose jumped up and hurried off. Talking? She couldn't do this. It was too hard. The tears began before she'd walked far, but she had to keep going. But then Scorpius was running after her with a "Rose! Wait!" and Rose broke into a sprint in an attempt to get away. Unfortunately Scorpius's legs were longer than her own and he caught up in record time. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop right next to the classroom.

"What, Malfoy?"

Scorpius dropped her hand with the use of his last name. "I listened to your speal and now I would like it if you listened to mine." Rose sighed, crossed her arms, but didn't move away. "I agree that it would be difficult to going back to being friends now." New tears threatened to spill in Rose's eyes. This was her worst fear. This was why she hadn't kissed Scorpius in her backyard. Rose stared at the ground and bit her lip, attempting to keep the tears away. "But Rose, I don't think I want to be your friend anymore." The words themselves were harsh, but his tone was soft, almost pleading. Rose lifted her head to look at him. "These couple weeks have been hard for me too. I tried so desperately to pretend it was real, and that you felt the same way. But it all came crashing down when you ran out of potions. I thought it was over. Then I realized that it didn't have to be over. This relationship is real to me, and I am going to fight for it. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. This is all my fault. This fake relationship was all my idea, because I wasn't brave enough to do anything for real. I didn't want to ask you out because I thought, like you, that it would ruin our friendship. And then you were begging for my help to pull weeds, and said you would do anything, and a kiss was out of my mouth before I could stop in. And then things got awkward, but I couldn't deny that was what I wanted was a kiss from Rose Weasley. But then on the train, I realized that wasn't enough. I needed more Rose. And not just as a best friend. I needed to be able to hold your hand, kiss you, or even hold you in my arms whenever I wanted." Scorpius paused for a breath. The tears had escaped and were streaming down Rose's face, but these were different tears.

"And then people thought we were dating, and yes, I could done the brave thing and asked you on a date. But I'm a Slytherin. We're not brave. We use other methods to get what we want, so I proposed a fake relationship. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't brave enough to own up to my feelings sooner." Scorpius knelt down on the ground and took Rose's hand.

"Rose Weasley, I love you. Please, will you be my girlfriend?"

Rose grinned. "Yes!" was all the warning Scorpius got before Rose flung herself into his arms. Scorpius was good at being impulsive and spun her around, holding her close.

A cheer went up, and Rose and Scorpius turned to see classroom door was still open and their whole potions class was watching. The news would spread through the castle by lunch.

Rose blushed. Scorpius turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Should we really give them something to cheer about?" Rose grinned shyly and nodded. Scorpius, with a hand on the small of her back, dipped Rose and kissed her.

More cheering went up from the watching Hogwarts population. Rose's arms wrapped around Scorpius's neck, pulling herself upward and closer. They didn't notice that more students had come down the hallway, trying to figure out why in Merlin there was cheering coming from the dreary dungeon.

"Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley! I understand that you just made up from a big fight, but if you would please return to your class as to stop the distraction of other students." Professor McGonagall's voice came from beyond a mass of students.

"But professor! Our class is right there!" Scorpius responded, lifting Rose to a standing position, but kept one of his arms around her. Rose hid her face in his shoulder from embarrassment. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Professor! We're going!" He walked towards their seats at the fron of the room and they sat down.

"That was so embarrassing!" Rose whispered.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Changing your mind about me already?"

"Never." Rose said, holding onto his arm. "I feel like we could be best friends forever, Scorp."

"Forever? As long as it includes plenty of kisses, I'm in."

 **AN: Well, this is the real end. I'm happy with her changes I made and I like this flow a lot better. And now I can focus on some of my new projects! Please check out my other stories and let me know what you think!**


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